The present invention relates to a plug electrical connector having an elastic arm in a housing thereof, in which the elastic arm has a locking section to mutually lock to a receptacle connector as a mating connector thereof when the plug electrical connector is fitted to the receptacle connector.
Patent Reference has disclosed a conventional plug connector. The conventional plug connector is connected to a cable such that the cable extends in an orthogonal direction to a fitting direction with respect to a mating connector, i.e., a receptacle connector. The conventional plug connector has elastic arms, which extend from side faces of a housing on both sides of the cable in the fitting direction to the receptacle connector. The elastic arm has a protruding locking section, and can be elastically flexed toward the side faces of the housing when the elastic arm receives an operative force.    Patent Reference: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-269141
When the conventional plug connector disclosed in Patent Reference is fitted to the receptacle connector, and the plug connector is pressed in the fitting direction, the locking section abuts against a corresponding locking section of the receptacle connector to receive a reaction force. With the reaction force, the elastic arm elastically deforms, so that the locking section can further move in the fitting direction.
When the locking section moves over and passes the corresponding locking section, the elastic arm is released elastic deformation and the locking section is locked to the corresponding locking section. Accordingly, it is possible to confirm the locking through a clicking feeling. When the conventional plug connector is disconnected from the receptacle connector, the operative force is applied onto the elastic arm, so that the elastic arm elastically deforms. Accordingly, the locking section is released from the corresponding locking section and the plug connector is pulled out.
As described above, when the conventional plug connector disclosed in Patent Reference is fitted to the receptacle connector, the elastic arm elastically deforms at the locking section with the reaction force from the corresponding locking section. Immediately when the locking section rides over and passes the corresponding locking section, the elastic flexion is automatically released, thereby obtaining the clicking feeling from to confirm the locking.
However, in some cases, an operator may try to connect the conventional plug connector to the receptacle connector while holding the plug connector at a portion of the elastic arm. More specifically, the operative force may be applied to the elastic arm before and after connecting the conventional plug connector to the receptacle connector, so that the elastic arm is in the elastically deformed state. Accordingly, even after the locking section passes over the corresponding locking section, the elastic arm is still in the elastically deformed state by the operative force.
In this case, only after the operator confirms the locking, the operative force is released. In comparison with a regular operation, in which the elastic arm is released from the locking state to a free state only through the reaction force from the corresponding locking section without the operator touching the elastic arm, the operative force is not quickly released. Therefore, it may be difficult to obtain the clicking feeling at the moment of the locking, or possible to obtain only insufficient clicking feeling.
In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a plug electrical connector capable of generating a sufficient clocking feeling when the plug electrical connector is connected to a mating connector.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.